Just Like Her Mother
by OctoberIsForever
Summary: She's tough and brave. She's a hunter. She can't cook to save her life. Just like her mother. Katniss' daughter/Gale's son.
1. I've Had Weirder Days

_**Chapter 1: I've Had Weirder Days, I Just Can't Think of Any.**_

_**Hi everyone! This is my new Hunger Games story about Katniss and Peeta's daughter, and Gale's son. Wanna know who Gale married? Keep on reading! (Pssst she's probably an OC) Here, District 12 was rebuilt, Katniss and Peeta don't live in Victor's Village, Peeta owns his family's bakery, Gale lives in District 12, and Katniss' mother also lives there. But Prim was still killed by the bombs, and Katniss still killed President Coin. Okay, enough with the rambling, on to the story! **_

I ran through the woods silently, my footsteps muffled by the carpet of grass, searching for prey. A flash of movement caught my eye, and in a second I was facing the source of the movement, ready for the kill. To my suprise, it wasn't an animal, it was a boy.

He looked around seventeen, a year older than me. He had dark brown hair, olive skin, and clear, piercing gray eyes. He was holding his hands up in a defensive gesture, and I was shocked to see he was holding a few rabbits and squirrels.

"Take it easy, girl. I'm not going to hurt you. I was just checking my traps." He said, raising his game, showing me the animals. I lowered my bow, not yet putting it away, but pointing it down at the ground instead of directly at his heart. I eyed him with suspicion, wondering why he looked familliar.

"I'm Derek Hawthorne. Just moved here." He said, giving me his hand to shake. Hawthorne? Why did that sound so familliar? Had I heard it at school?

"Delilah." I take his hand and shake it. His grip is so firm, it almost hurts. But I'm tougher than most girls my age, and I can handle it. I decide against using my last name, since it causes something of an issue at school when people find out my mother led the rebellion that set us all free.

I'm Delilah Primrose Mellark. My name is sweet and pretty, unlike me. My father is Peeta Mellark, and my mother is Katniss Everdeen Mellark, as you probably guessed from my last name. I have my mother's brown hair which I let hang loose around my shoulders, my father's light skin, and his icy blue eyes. I'm sixteen years old. I have a little brother named Jeremy Gale, who is twelve years old, and has my father's blond hair, and my mother's knowing gray eyes.

I am a hunter, as you probably can already tell, just like my mother. She taught me everything she knows, and now I'm almost as good a hunter as her. My father tried to teach me how to paint, and I'm fairly hopless at it. The best I can do is paint a straight line.

My brother, however, can paint scenes so realistic, and sometimes so horrifying, I have to leave the room to prevent myself from being sick. Most of the time, he paints scenes from the 74th Hunger Games, the one our parents were in. We've watched the Games in school, and he tries to paint them. I know what you're thinking; the Games are much too gruesome to be shown to a bunch of kids, but we need to know our about our past. At least, that's what they say.

Our parents have told us everything about the rebellion, the Games, and the Quarter Quell. All I can say is that I'm glad that my mother started the rebellion. It makes me shudder to think what would have happened, had it failed.

My little brother, on the other hand, thinks it's 'cool' that our parents had to fight to the death in the arena. When my mother heard that, she turned so pale and fainted. Jeremy's much too young to understand the concept of twenty-four kids killing each other to survive. I can only hope that when he grows up, he will come to terms with what the Hunger Games really meant to the Capitol. It was a means to control the people of the districts. As my mother said, and I quote, "This was the Capitol's way of reminding us how totally we were at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion. Whatever words they used, the real message was clear. 'Look how we take your children and sacrifice them, and there's nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen.'"

My brother may be incredibly clueless, but I love him none the less. He's a sweet person, always trying to make others happy, despite the fact that he doesn't understand that killing people is always counted as a horrible thing to do. He's not all that violent, I promise you, he just doesn't understand.

Now that the Capitol no longer controls the districts, we are not so poor as we were. We have proper food everyday, and now have enough jobs to keep everyone alive.

I still hunt, though, as do some other people, like this boy. My parents cook the game I bring home, and it costs much less than buying food.

The Hob still exsists, but nearly no one knows about it. It still is considered the black market of District 12, and Greasy Sae is still serving her slop there, after thirty-one years. She may be old, but she can still come up with good food just like in my mother's day.

Back to the present now. I am here in the woods, just beyond my district, talking to a boy named Derek Hawthorne. It seems as though I know him. I look him over, trying to see if anything else about him rings a bell. As I look at him, I notice that he's lean and muscular, a lot taller than me. I eye him warily, not sure if I should trust him.

He brakes the eery silence and says, "Hunting? I got all the good game already." smugly.

"What makes you think I can't get anything better you have?" I snap at him, annoyed with his cockiness.

"I'd like to see you try." Only is it then I realize we had walked towards each other, and are almost nose-to-nose, watching each other through narrowed eyes, daring each other to blink. Suddenly a deer running through the woods breaks our staring contest, and I turn towards the sound immediately. I quickly shoot the deer straight in the heart, and it falls. I smile smugly at Derek, then stick my tongue out at him. He rolls his eyes as if he could care less.

We walk towards my game, and he hits his head on the branch of a tree. Hard. That's what he gets for being so freakishly tall. He falls down on the soft grass as I make my way towards him, laughing the whole time.

I reach out my hand to help him up, and he takes it, glaring at me for enjoying his pain.

"Are you okay?" I ask, with only the barest hint of sincerity in my voice.

"I've had worse incidents, I just can't think of any." He says, shrugging. I walk swiftly towards my deer, and with Derek's help, I put it in my game bag.

"Here." I say, handing the bag with the deer in it to him. "You can have it." This is my way of saying 'I trust you, but I still don't like you'.

"Really?" He says, and his eyebrows shoot up so high, they're almost lost in his hair.

"Yes, really. Just don't keep on stealing the rest of my game." I say, hoping the message isn't lost to him as he looks over the deer, pulling out the arrow and handing it to me.

"So...hunting partners?" He asks me, with a somewhat hopeful expression.

"What?" I say, almost forgetting how to breathe.

"I asked you to be my hunting partner. At least we could divide our game evenly, then."

"Oh... okay. I guess." I say, still too shocked to mantain my usual, too-cool-to-care demeanor.

"Great. See ya." He says, slinging the game bag over his shoudler.

"Bye." I say, barely even hearing myself.

Only when I was half-way home, it hit me, I had a hunting partner.

_**-Let's Pretend This is a Line, Okay? - **_

When I arrived home, I saw my little brother painting. I tip-toed over to him, and put my hands over his eyes.

"AHHH! MOM! DAD! PEOPLE ARE ATTACKING! AHHH!" I laughed at his over dramatizing, and removed my hands from his eyes.

"Relax, Jer. It's just me." I say hugging him.

"Oh. It's just you. Good. Now, go! I'm painting!" He says, shooing me away.

For the first time, I look at his painting, and realize it's me.

In his painting, I'm running through the woods, a perfect look of concentration on my face. My hair is blowing in the wind, and I'm holding my bow and arrows pointing straight ahead of me so you can see that I'm chasing prey. I've never taken him hunting with me, so how could he possibly know how I looked when I was following prey?

"How did you do this? I've never taken you hunting..." I say, still in awe of the correct-ness of his painting.

"I just imagined it." He says with a shrug. "Now, leave! I didn't want you to see it 'till it was finished, but...just leave, Lilah, okay?" He says, now looking a bit annoyed.

"Fine." I say with an indignant 'hmph'. I make my way to my bedroom.

I open the white door, and am welcomed by the familliar sight.

My bed is blue, the color of the sky during midnight. My closet, small as ever, stands in the corner opposite my bed. I see my table, with all my important things in it's compartments. I throw my bow and sheath of arrows on the table, and myself on the bed.

Today has been tiring. I went to the woods to hunt, only to find out that some boy has snared all my prey. I shot a deer, then gave it said boy. Then that boy became my first hunting partner. This was a very weird day.

I fall alseep thinking that, without even showering, eating dinner, or changing my clothes. I fall asleep, thinking of the strange boy I met in the woods.


	2. The New Kid

_**Chapter 2: The New Kid**_

_**Hi! So, just to clear something, I'm still doing Sun Comes Out. So Derek hasn't told Delilah his dad is Gale, she hasn't told him her mom is Katniss, and I haven't told you who Gale's wife is! Happy reading! (And yes, in this story there is high school. :D)**_

_**Reviewer stuff:  
cherrifly: Thanks! It's really nice to hear what you think about it. Your kind words mean a lot to me. Seriously, thank you. :D And a special thank you for being the first to review my story! Here's the next chapter for you! :))**_

The next day, I sit at my table alone at lunch, as usual. On my way there, I can't help but hear the whispers. "Did you see that new kid?" "Oh, yeah. He's totally hot." I don't understand why teenage girls have to be obsessed with boys. Frankly, it disgusts me.

I eat my lunch, mashed potatos and meat, all while hearing everyone talk about the new kid. Who could he possibly be, to cause so much fuss? How could he possibly look like, to make almost every girl jump with joy when you mention him? Almost every girl, meaning not quite. There's still me, and I doubt I'll be swept off my feet by this boy.

Soon enough, the crowd in the cafeteria parts and I hear frantic whispers. "That's him!" "It's the new kid!" "Oh my god!" I look down at my food, trying not to mind the excitement over this guy. Soon, I feel the crowd quiet down, and somebody sits in front of me. Who could it be? No one ever sits beside me, thinking I'm a loner. Just because I don't care for prissy girly-girls who talk of nothing but boys doesn't make me a loner. It makes me sane.

I look up, and find myself staring at a pair of piercing gray eyes.

"Hey, Delilah." He says, casually taking a bite of his apple.

"Hawthorne?" I ask, un-believing.

"Yup. Told you I just moved here." He says, taking another bite of his apple. He makes a satisfying crunch sound, abruptly pulling me out of a spell.

"Then what the hell are you doing sitting with me?" I hiss in a whisper.

"I saw you sitting alone, so I thought I'd join my hunting partner." He says, giving me the tiniest of smirks before continuing with his apple.

"Go away!" I say, still in a hushed, angry whisper.

"Not a chance, Delilah." He says, giving me a full-blown girn this time.

I put my head in my hands and groan, accepting that there's no way to make him leave.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask him, with my head still in my hands.

"I told you. I wanted to sit with you." It seemed like an acceptable answer, so I no longer questioned him. The bell for class rang, and I walked away from the table quickly, hoping he didn't follow me. Unfortunately, he did.

"So what are you? I'm a Junior. I just turned seventeen, though." Oh, god. He was in the same year as me. This meant we had classes together.

"I'm a Junior too. What's your next class?" I ask, crossing my fingers that its not History with .

"History with Reelman. What's yours?"

"Same." Today just isn't my lucky day.

_**-Pretend Line Break ;)- **_

After a few hours of excruciating pain of having to stand Derek, it turns out he's a pretty good person for me to hang out with. He's funny, and he actually listens sometimes. Shocker, isn't it? Now that I'm not trying to make him go away, and he's not trying to annoy me to death, I'm almost happy that we have every class together. Almost.

Soon after class, I tell Derek to meet me in the woods, and that I'm just going to go home and change. My current clothes are hardly acceptable for using outdoors. If we decide to go hunting, weapons aren't a problem, since my mother still keeps some bows and arrows in the woods.

A few minutes later, I'm ready to go. I run quietly in the direction of the woods, and soon see the fence that used to keep us from going to the woods. It had electricity, but now that the districts are free, there's no need to keep people out of the woods anymore. I slip under the fence quickly, and continue running towards the direction in which I pointed Derek towards.

Suddenly, I feel hands clamp over my eyes, and someone picks me up, and hoists me onto his/her shoulders. I pound my fists on my attacker's back, I yell. Soon, I am let down onto my feet. I spring up, looking into my attacker's face.

"God, Derek. Why would you have to do that?" I say, fairly relieved it was only him. He just smiles down at me and gestures around him. I look around and take in what I see.

There is a small cabin to left, and a big, sparkling, blue lake to the right. This place is in a meadow, full of wild flowers. **(the place Katniss' dad showed her. Katniss never showed it to Delilah, and she never knew about it until now.)**

"Wow." I say, letting out a breath as I lean against the tree trunk behind us.

"I know. I found it while I was looking around." He says, leaning back too.

"What do you want to do?" I ask him.

"Do you want to swim?" He says, with a mischeivous smile on his face, as he gets up.

"Uh, no. I have nothing to swim in." I say, as he comes toward me.

"Oh, that's alright. We'll find a way." He says, as he swiftly picks me up and throws me into the water. He laughs, so loudly that I can hear it from under the water.

I fall into the water, clothes and all, and resurface. "Hawthorne!" I yell warningly, and see his gray eyes, sparkling with mischeif. I beckon him to come closer with my index finger, and he does. Suddenly, I tug onto his leg and pull him into the water. I laugh, boisterously, I might add. He soon comes up and starts splashing me, as I do the same.

What feels like only minutes later, we get out of the water, and head into the small cabin. It's dusty and old, but it still has a strange comfortable feeling about it. I look at the clock, and it tells me that we've been in the lake for three hours. The sun is setting now, and I wonder if my parents will worry.

I shiver involuntarily, and realize I am cold. Derek realizes that about the same time that I do, and he gives me his jacket, which he managed to remove before I pulled him into the water.

"Thanks." I say, grateful for the warmth that his jacket provides. He lights a fire in the fireplace, scoots closer to me as we hold out our hands to the fire. It was strangely peaceful, this silence. It was a comfortable silence, not an awkward one. Soon, we both fall asleep by the fire.

_**-Another Imaginary Line Break for YOUUUU!-**_

I wake up to the sun rising, and stretch. Wait, the sun rising? I bolt up, as I remeber the events of yesterday. Me and Derek had fallen asleep by the fire and now it was... 7:00 am, the clock tells me.

"Oh, god." I say, hiding my face in my hands, as I often do when I'm nervous. _My parents are probably worried out of their minds, _I think.

Just as I lift my head, the door opens and my mother walks frantically in. She looks and me, and soon I am trapped in her embrace.

"Don't ever do that to me again, Delilah Primrose Everdeen-Mellark." She says, still hugging me. She looks at Derek, and back at me. She pulls back, and her expression is tight.

"Did you..." She starts to say.

I cut her off by saying, "No, mom! Ew, no! Just, no. He's my hunting partner. We found this cabin, and we just fell asleep."

Her eyes soften as she looks around. "My dad used to take me here." She manages to say, in a ragged whisper.

I look at her face, and see that she's holding back tears. Immediately, I hug her tight. My grandpa is a touchy subject for her. She once told me that he died in a cave in. Along with her best friend, Gale's father. What was his name? Gale...Hawthorne! Oh! My eyes widen, as I remember her story of Gale, her best friend. He called her Catnip, I think.

At the same time, my mom is looking at Derek with shock evident on her face. Then, as if he can feel that he's being watched, he wakes.

He looks at me and murmurs, "Hey Delilah." and sees my mother. He looks at her, then back to me, then her, then me, as if watching a ping-pong match.

My mother softly says, "Do you know Gale Hawthorne?" and he nods.

"He's my father." Derek says, almost as softly as my mother. It is apparent that he knows who she is.

"He was my best friend. Is he here? In District 12?" My mom continues.

"Yes. We just moved here." He says.

"I need to see him!" My mom loudly shouts, making me and Derek jump. Derek nods, and tells her where they live. On her way out, she yells, "Go to your father and tell him where I went!"

When she leaves, Derek looks at me and asks, "Is she your mother? Is Katniss Everdeen your mother?"

I nod mutely while he looks at me.

"My father told me about her. That he was in love with her. He says that he still is, though now he has my mother, and he loves her too." He says softly, turning his gaze away from me.

"Oh." I say. It feels like an inadequate answer, but what else am I to say?

He looks at me, and suddenly he grins.

"You look like her." He says, still wearing a grin.

"What?" I say, somewhat baffled that he can go from sincere to smiling in half a second.

"You look just like your mother." He says.

I blush, considering my mom is the most beautiful woman I know. In my opinion, of course I could never look like her, but it makes me blush to know that someone thinks I do.

"Thanks." I say, looking at my soft leather boots.

"What do you want to do today?" Derek asks me, his old self again.

I grin and reply, "Anything."


	3. What's Up With Derek?

_**Chapter 3: What's Up With Derek?**_

_**This is chapter 3 of Just Like Her Mother. I'm trying to update everyday, and sometimes I'll update twice a day. Just saying. And who is Derek's mother? ALL SHALL BE REAVEALED! Well, not **_all._** BUT A LOT! **_

_**Reviewer Stuff:  
cherrifly: You're really nice.:D Thank you for being my one and only reviewer! I'm trying to make the story more interesting by throwing in another character... but you'll have to read to find out! :D **_

After a day of hunting, swimming, and just laying down on the grassy meadow with Derek, I decide to go home. I yell a goodbye to him, and run back to my house. Once I step inside, I'm suprised to hear a different, deeper voice than my mother's. My brother and father aren't home, so it couldn't be them. I put my head in the doorway, and see my mother hugging a strange man.

"It's so great to see you, Gale. I missed you a lot." My mom murmurs.

"I know. I missed you too, Catnip." He says, and my mother laughs at the nickname.

"It's been such a long time since someone has called me that." She says, dreamily. She pulls back to look at the man.

"Gale, you look so old!" She exclaims, and the man laughs loudly. There's something about this man's demeanor that reminds me of Derek. Oh, this man is Derek's father, Gale. He looks like Derek, so much so that it scares me. The same gray eyes, dark hair, and olive skin. Only this man, Gale, is so much taller than his son, of course.

"So do you, Catnip. We've both grown old. We have children." He says, with a small, grudging smile.

"Oh, yeah. Did you know I saw our children sleeping together?" Derek's father just looks shocked as my mother continues.

"No, no, not like that. They were sleeping beside each other, in the cabin my father showed me. The one beside the lake, remember? The were asleep by the fire." She says, and her expression tells me that she's thinking of something else.

"Derek? And your daughter? It seems as though we're going to have another case like ours." He says, with a bitter chuckle.

"Oh, Gale. Don't be like that. They may actually end up together." She says, looking him in the eye.

"Yeah." Derek's father says, with a defeated sigh. "Do you remember the last time we were in that cabin?" He asks, a reminscent look in his eyes.

"Oh, how could I forget? That was the first time you kissed me..." My mother says, looking away.

I realize that what I was doing was considered eavesdropping, so I take that as the perfect time to come in the room.

"Mom! Oh..." I say, pretending that I didn't know he was here.

"Delilah! This is your friend's father, and my best friend, Gale. Gale, this is my eldest child, Delilah." She says my name with so much pride, I can't help but give her a huge smile.

I reach out my hand to shake Gale's, but he ignores it and pulls me into a big hug.

"Oh, you look so much like your mother. I just might have to call you Little Catnip." He says, releasing me from his grasp.

"She doesn't look like me, Gale!" My mother says, playfully slapping him on the arm. I look at my feet and my smile immediately disappears. "She's much prettier than I am." She says, looking at me and beaming. I blush, and I am sure that it makes me look like an overripe tomato.

"Hmm... I guess you're right, Catnip." Gale says, squinting, mockingly trying to see the difference between us.

"I'm always right." My mother says, with a smug smile. "Delilah, you can call him Uncle Gale."  
She says.

"Aww, come on! 'Uncle Gale' makes me sound old. Just call me Gale, Little Catnip." The man named Gale says, beaming at me.

"Uh, no. _**Please **_don't call me Little Catnip. I don't like cat food." I say.

He laughs his booming laugh and says, "Just like her mother. Are you sure I can't call you Little Catnip?"

I nod vigorously. He laughs again and ruffles my hair.

"Bye. I need to go. I've got, um, homework to do. Yeah, that's it! Homework!" I say, desperately trying to find an excuse to leave.

"Uh-huh." My mom says with an un-believing expression. "Go then. Bye, honey!" She says, shooing me with her hands. I hug her and wave goodbye to Gale.

I walk towards the door as quickly as I can, and once I'm outside, I have no idea what to do. I settle for walking around the village. Though only five minutes pass, I am already bored out of my mind. I decide to go back to the meadow, as I can't find anything to do here.

I quietly slip through town, and go under the fence. I reach the meadow and lie down on the grass. I close my eyes and feel the sun on my face. I open my eyes, and face crystal clear lake. I suddenly decide I want to go swimming. I have no extra clothes, but I'm feeling impulsive today, so I just take off my boots and my jacket and dive into the water.

I feel the warm water swish around me, and I feel the calmness it brings. I feel refreshed, and I swim a few laps. Soon, I'm just floating on my back, enjoying the sunlight and warm water. A few hours later, I open my eyes and realize I have fallen asleep. I get out of the water, and am completely soaked. I dry my feet on the grass before I slide them into my boots. I decide against putting on my jacket, as it would only make me wet rather than provide me with warmth.

I suddenly remember where I got this jacket. It's Derek's! He gave it to me yesterday, and I forgot to give it back. When I see him, I suppose I should give it back. But for some reason, there's a part of me that doesn't want to. I shrug it off, and head back home.

I'm soaking wet, and people stare at me on my way back to my house. As I walk, I'm too caught up in other people's stares to watch where I'm going, so I accidentally bump into someone.

"Oof! Oh, sorry, I didn't see you." I say, as I look up into the smiling face of Derek Hawthorne.

"Oh, hey Derek. It's you. I think your dad is still over at my place. Wanna come with me?" I ask.

"Sure." He says, a silly, crooked grin on his face. He follows me toward his house, and I put on my -his- jacket.

"I have your jacket, by the way. I'll give it to you after I change into some dry clothes." I say, and notice that his grin considerably widens.

"Nah, it's okay. It looks good on you." He says.

"It's mine?" I ask, my eyes widening. It's good jacket. Is he really giving it to me?

"Yep." He says, still grinning happily.

"Thank you!" I say, jumping up to hug him. He hugs me back, and I notice that he's really, _**really **_warm.

He laughs and asks me, "Why are you so happy about me giving you a jacket?"

"Well, it's a really _**nice **_jacket." I say, and he laughs. We arrive at my house, and I grab his hand and pull him through the door. I don't know what made me do it, though.

My mom and Derek's dad are standing at the door laughing, and when we come in they immediately see our hands are pressed together. I quickly drop his hand and hug my mom.

"Honey! Why are you wet?" She asks me, still looking at Derek.

"I went swimming, and I forgot to bring extra clothes." I say with a shrug. She gives me a funny look and nods.

"Hello, Derek. Gale's told me a lot about you." My mother says, as she smiles approvingly at him.

"I'm going upstairs to change." I call out to my mother, as I make my way up the stairs.

I quickly change into a loose, cream colored shirt and white shorts. It's not like I'm going out or anything, so I don't need to wear my usual pants.

I dash down the stairs quickly, and when I arrive at the bottom, I see Gale and my mom talking and laughing, while Derek just stares at me.

I sit beside him, tap his leg, and say, "What?" in a hushed whisper.

He clears his throat and replys, "Oh, nothing, nothing." Derek is acting different today. He just keeps on staring at me a grinning. He's grinning at me now, for no apparent reason. **(gosh, Delilah. You're so clueless. Oh, that's my fault. Hehe. :P) **So I slap the back of his head swiftly, just to snap him out of whatever he's going through.

"Ouch!" He hisses.

I shrug and give him a look. "Your fault for grinning like a mad-man. It's getting creepy, Derek."

This time, it's his turn to shrug, and he laughs. "It's fun to creep you out." I look at him through slitted eyes and tell him, "Oh, that'll be the last time you laugh Hawthorne, if you keep this up." I say, forgetting to lower my voice to a whisper. He laughs, and I slap the back of his head again. It is then that I realize our parents are acting like us, laughing and joking, and I notice how much we act alike.

Gale looks at the clock, and his eyes go wide. "It's already seven! It's getting late, me and Derek should be getting home. His mother will worry."

My mother clears her throat, and awkwardly asks him, "Uh, who _**is **_Derek's mother?"

"Madge." He says, as if it explains everything. And by looking at my mother, I can tell that it does.**(yep. She's alive! And Derek's mother isn't some random OC! Tell me, do you think it would be better if she was an OC?) **

"Undersee?" My mother chokes out.

"Yes." Gale says, half smiling.

"I'm so happy for you!" My mom says, and she seems to be truly happy for him and this girl named Madge.

"Remember she that she gave me the mockingjay pin?" My mother asks, smiling happily.

"Yeah. The symbol of the rebellion." Derek's father says, with the same, happy smile. During this whole exchange, me and Derek stay silent.

"C'mon Derek. We should go." He continues, nudging his son. He gives me and my mom hugs, Derek wave at both of us, and they leave. I go up to my room, and decide that I want to sleep. Lately, I've been sleeping early a lot. I don't know why, I just feel tired.

So I crash on top of my head and fall asleep.

_**-Line Break!- **_

I wake up, and it's Monday. _Great,_ I think, as I groan. _I have to go to school today._ I wash up, and stick my hand in my closet. I put on the first thing I touch, and see that it's a white tunic that I've forgotten about. It has short sleeves, and it ends at my thighs. I grab a pair of black pants, and put a belt around my waist. There. I comb my hair and slip on my boots.

I head downstairs for breakfast, and see that my father, mother, and little brother are already eating. My brother looks at me, with his mouth open in suprise. My parents are talking, so they aren't paying much attention. I laugh, and close Jeremy's jaw.

"Don't want to catch flies." I say, and ruffle his hair. "Why are you so suprised?"

"You look so pretty." He says, earnestly. "You've never worn anything like that for school." I pick up a bowl, milk, and the cereal box and grab a clean spoon from the counter. I turn away from Jeremy, so that he can't see I'm blushing.

I quickly give him a hug, and murmur my thanks. I pour cereal, then milk, into my bowl. I eat as fast as I can, as I'm already late. Jeremy's already done, he's just waiting for me to take him to school. I grab my book bag, finish and take Jeremy's hand, pulling him out the door, and shouting, "Bye mom! Bye dad! We're going to school!"

We walk in silence to school, and when we arrive at his building, I kiss the top of his head and wave.

"Bye, Lilah!" He shouts, as he makes his way towards his classroom. I continue walking until I reach the high school building. I see a familliar figure leaning against the rails, and I laugh as I greet Derek. We walk towards our classroom, and I realize I completely forgot my History book.

"Dammit! Derek, just go ahead, I need to get my History book from my locker."

"You sure? I could come if you want..." He says, trailing off uncertainly.

"No, no, you go. I'll see you there." I say, already making my way towards my locker. When I reach it, I enter my code and my locker swings open. I find my History book, and some other books that I might need, and close my locker door.

I'm holding my books to my chest, looking down at my feet, and I accidentally drop my books. I kneel down to retrieve them, but someone already picks up the books and hands them to me.

"Uh, thanks." I say, as I look up to see the person who helped me. I freeze as I see that it's Finn Collins, the most popular boy in Junior year. His blond hair, falling over his eyes. His bright green eyes shining as he smiles. Huh. I've never noticed it before, but he's pretty cute. **(Delilah's got a crush? :D) **

"No problem. Delilah, right?" He says, smiling at me, and I melt.

"Uh-huh." I say, unable to think of the right words to say.

"I'm Finn. Finn Collins." He says, and he gives me his hand to shake. I take it, and feel a little spark as I do.

"Hi." I say. Oh god, why can't I think of anything better to say? I'm embarrassing myself in front of the totally adorable, popular Finn Collins.

"Um, I kind of... have to get to class." I manage to say.

"Oh, yeah. See you later?" He asks me.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course." I squeak, and rush past him, towards my classroom. He was so sweet... and cute... I sigh, and step into the classroom, all while daydreaming about Finn.

I make my way over to my desk, and take a seat beside Derek.

"Why did you take so long?" He whispers to me.

"I... dropped my books." I say, blushing. It is the truth, isn't it?

"Oh. Why are you blushing?" He asks me, now confused.

"I talked to Finn Collins. Or, more like, he talked to me." I say, sheepishly. I'm still blushing when I see him frown.

"Who's that?" He asks me, and he looks almost mad.

"Oh, he's only the _most popular boy in Junior year!_ How can you not know him?" I ask, watching his frown deepen.

"Eh. I'm new here, remember?" Oh, that's right. The teacher comes, and I watch the clock, waiting for school to end.

* * *

Yay long chapter! Do you like Finn? I hope you don't. I have plans... hee-hee. :D

Thanks for reading!


	4. I Just Don't Like Him

_**Chapter 4: I Just Don't Like Him **_

_**I KNOW, I KNOW. Don't kill me. *raises hands in defense* I'm sorry for not updating but I've got this story on Fictionpress and... well, I've been ignoring Delilah and Derek for quite a while. I'M SORRY MY LOVELIES! Heh. :D (And Gale and Katniss will **_**not**_**be together here. I love Madge too much to do that to her. And Peeta.) I think I should change the summary, because it just says 'one-shot' to me, instead of 'full story'. What do you think?**_

_**Reviewer Stuff:  
cherrifly: Yeah. :D I loved Madge in the books, and I was so sad when she and her family went missing. So I thought, why not? And yes, it is a very, VERY good thing you don't like him. As I said, I have plans... Hee hee. :P Just be ready. And thank you! It's nice to know you liked it. :)) I'll try to update faster so you know what's going to happen to Finn. **_

_**JaelynJae: Yay new reviewer! :D Aww, thanks. That's really nice of you. Some of the stories out there are kinda cheesy... If I get too cheesy, let me know. And besides, I can't really write anything that counts as sweet. :D It's great to know that even if it's short, you like it. :) I'll try to update as fast as I possibly can. :)) **_

_**Royal Duke Armadilloer III- Thanks so much! It's great that you think it's awesome. I'm really sorry about not updating soon enough, I'm just so... gah. :( I'll try to make this chapter longer and add more stuff! :D A big giant thank you for reading my story! **_

_**coolstorybro321- Hehe. :) I think everyone who reads this agrees that Finn is no good. You'll see later. I know, this is a story about Gale's son and Katniss' daughter, right? So of course, there's got to be drama before they end up together. I must tortue them before they get their happy ending! Just joking. :D Thanks for reading. :)**_

**-This time, the story starts when Derek and Delilah are already at the lake. :)-**

I sit on the grass, my feet dangling in the water, while Derek interrogates me.

"Who exactly is this 'Finn' guy?" He asks me, still frowning, though I can't understand why. He's started to pace, which makes me somewhat nervous.

"Finn Collins is the most popular guy in our year." I say. "He hangs out at the popular table, of course he does, they're his entourage. The cheerleaders, popular girls, and jocks all sit there. Finn is the captain of the baseball team, and he's a really good player." It takes all my will to keep myself from gushing about him. Of course I trust Derek enough to tell him that I might have a teeny, tiny, little crush on Finn. It's just that... it's sort of embarrassing. Fine. Derek is my best friend. I have to tell him.

"And... I sort of have a crush on him." I say, very hesitantly. Derek stops pacing and turns around to stare at me.

"What did you just say, exactly?" He says, in a frightening tone.

"Umm... I like Finn Collins?" I say, and it comes out sounding like a question.

"WHY?" He yells, and I nearly fall into the lake. Why do I like Finn? I mean, aside from the fact that he's cute... well, he did seem sweet.

"Cause." I say, not being able to think of anything else to say.

"Cause, what, Delilah?" He asks me. Do I really need to answer that? I certainly hope not.

"Just, ugh, nevermind. Don't answer that." He says, putting his head in his hands.

"Why are you so troubled with the fact that I like him?" I ask my best friend as I stand up, withdrawing my feet from the water and putting my hands on my hips.

"It's nothing, it's nothing." He says, waving me away.

"What is it, Derek?" I say, walking towards him.

"It's nothing, honestly. It's just that, if he breaks your heart, I'm going to have to beat him up." He says, looking up and smiling, though I could tell it was forced.

"Why do you think he would break my heart? I mean, it's not like we're even dating..." I say, trailing off wistfully.

"Eh. I don't like Finn Collins." He says, looking down at the grass again.

"What? But you've never ev-" The rest of my sentence is interrupted by Derek's hand over my mouth.

"I just don't like him." He says, removing his hand and shrugging.

"You've been acting weird lately, Derek." I observe.

"How so?" He asks me mockingly, gesturing with his hands to continue.

"Well, you kept on grinning and staring at me yesterday, and now you're getting worked up over Finn. What's up with you?" I ask him.

"Nothing's up with me. It's really nothing, Lilah." I notice that he called me Lilah, and only my little brother calls me that. Since it's Derek, I don't really mind. If it was anyone else, I would probably get angry and done something... drastic. I don't like the name, okay? It feels weird. Delilah is too sweet as it is, and Lilah makes it _**so **_much sweeter. I hate it. Only my brother, and now Derek, are allowed to call me that. I'm pretty touchy with the nickname, huh?

"Sure?" I ask, more worried than anything else.

"Yeah." He replies shortly. "It's getting late, we should probably go." He tells me.

"Oh, okay." I say, and put on my boots. We walk swiftly and silently through the woods. As we reach my house, I give him a wave and walk into my home.

"Lilah! Come here, come here! I finished your painting!" Jeremy calls from the living room. I walk to where Jeremy is and take a look at the painting he proudly shows me. Here, I look determined and strong. The tress behind me look so real, I expect the birds to chirp. The ground is strewn with leaves, and the sky is bright blue. It looks as if I am in motion. Like I am running, trying to reach my prey. It's beautiful. It's breath-taking, how real it looks. My little brother is the greatest painter in the world. Aside from my father, of course.

"Aww, Jer! It's wonderful!" I say, and kiss the top of his head. He beams proudly. "Jer, what time is it?" I ask him, seeing as the sun has set already.

"It's eight. We already finished having dinner. Sorry, Lilah." He says, while looking sheepish. "Mom and dad figured you ate already. I told them we should have waited for you but..."

"It's fine. I'm not really that hungry. I'm going to sleep. Night, Jer." I say, and walk up the stairs and to my room. I change into pajamas and crash on my bed. I fall asleep fast, my mind off in dreamland.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

I'm at school already, and I'm standing in front of my locker, leaning against it. I look around me and notice that Finn is walking directly towards me.

"Hey, Delilah." He says, putting his hand on the locker beside mine.

"H-h-hi, Finn..." I stutter. Wait, did I just stutter? I never stutter! What is happening to me?

"So, how are you?" He asks me, his mouth curving upwards in a grin.

"I'm good... and y-you?" God, I've got to stop stuttering.

"Great." He beams at me. "Hey, I've been wondering... do you want to go out sometime?" Did he just ask me out? On a date? Seriously? Oh. My. God.

"Of course!" I say hurriedly. "I mean, yeah, yeah. Sure." I correct my tone, trying not to seem too desperate.

"Awesome. So, tomorrow? I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Yeah. Sounds... great."

"Cool. See ya." And he walks away.

OH. MY. GOD. Did I just get asked out by Finn Collins? What is happening to the world?

I rush to my class giddily, just before the bell. I take my normal seat, and Derek is already there. He raises his eyebrows at my apparent happiness.

"Why do you seem so god damn happy?" He asks me, in a teasing manner.

"Well..." I hesistate. Should I tell him? _Of course you should. He's your best friend._ My conscience tells me."Finn just asked me out." And he frowns. His eyebrows furrow and his mouth turns downwards, his eyes having an angry glint in them.

"What do you mean he asked you out? Like on a date?" He asks, his voice dangerously low.

"Uhm, yeah."

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"What did you say?"

"What do you think I said? I said yes, of course, you idiot." His frown deepens and his eyes get angrier. He turns away from me and puts his head in his hands. "Derek?" I ask him, gently poking his arm.

His head snaps up and his voice has a steely tone to it. "What do you want, Delilah?"

"Are you okay?" I whisper. His expression softens for a moment, and then it hardens into and unreadable mask again.

"It's nothing." He says, turning away from me once more. What had I done? The rest of the day goes on like this, and I still don't have the faintest idea why.

_**XXXXXXXX**_

When I get home, I cry my eyes out, not knowing why Derek can have such an effect on me. I should be happy, shouldn't I? _**Flinn friggin' Collins **_just asked me out! I should be ecstatic! But I'm not. All I can think of is how angry Derek's expression was, and the unmistakable hurt in his eyes. I can't figure our why he responded that way. What had I done? Was it because of Finn? What had _**he **_done?

I shake my head, wanting the thoughts to go away. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. My mind is clouded with thoughts of Derek. Why am I thinking of Derek, rather than thinking about Finn? I fall asleep thinking of the expression on Derek's face when I told him that Finn asked me out, with one question in my mind.

_**Why? **_


End file.
